Today in the MHSAA: 6/1/17

June 1, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The first MHSAA Finals championships of this spring were celebrated Wednesday in golf and tennis, while Hudsonville’s longtime softball coach celebrated a milestone win few have equaled.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Girls Golf

Escanaba repeated as Upper Peninsula Division 1 champion, finishing 18 strokes ahead of Houghton – Second Half

Boys Golf

Escanaba pushed past three-time reigning champion Houghton to win the Upper Peninsula Division 1 title – Second Half

Lower Peninsula Division 3 No. 10 Shepherd won its first Regional title in more than a decade – Saginaw News

Unranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central edged No. 7 Rockford by a stroke to win an LP Division 1 regional title – Grand Rapids Press

No. 6 Plymouth won a third straight LP Division 1 Regional title, shooting a 319 to edge No. 10 Ann Arbor Skyline by five strokes – Observer & Eccentric

Boys Lacrosse

No. 3 Hartland claimed its first Regional title in boys lacrosse with an 11-10 win over Midland in Division 1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

No. 5 Warren DeLaSalle edged No. 8 Grosse Pointe North 10-8 to claim a Division 2 title – Macomb Daily

No. 9 Clarkston avenged a regular-season loss by downing No. 8 Lake Orion 12-9 in another Division 1 Regional Final – Oakland Press

Girls Soccer

Swartz Creek continued its perfect run with a 2-1 Division 1 District Semifinal win over Davison, which scored first – Flint Journal

Newaygo escaped with a 2-1 win over Muskegon Oakridge after a shootout in a Division 3 District Semifinal and thanks to 36 saves by Jenna Janke – Muskegon Chronicle

No. 17 Portage Central got past rival Portage Northern 1-0 in a Division 1 District Semifinal – Kalamazoo Gazette

Softball

Hudsonville downed Allendale 10-0 to give 36-year coach Tom Vruggink his 1,000th career win, against only 263 losses – Grand Rapids Press

Division 1 No. 10 Mount Pleasant split with Division 2 top-ranked Saginaw Swan Valley, with a 6-5 win in the first game the Vikings’ first loss this season – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Boys Tennis

Ishpeming Westwood won six flights in claiming a fourth straight Upper Peninsula Division 2 title – Second Half

Negaunee won its fifth MHSAA Finals title this decade, claiming six flights during a Division 1 run – Second Half

Today in the MHSAA: 5/2/16

May 2, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Included as always is a sampling of coverage of this weekend’s most notable statewide events, but make sure to check out the “Good Reads” section at the bottom of this report for stories definitely worth your time today.

Boys Golf

Reigning Division 1 champion Detroit Catholic Central won the Traverse City Central Tee-Off with a two-day 288 – Traverse City Record-Eagle 

Softball

Division 1 No. 2 Farmington Hills Mercy, a semifinalist last season, swept reigning champion Warren Regina in the Detroit Catholic League – Oakland Press

Petoskey won the Traverse City St. Francis Invitational, including handing a first loss this season to Kalkaska – Petoskey News 

Track & Field

Sturgis’ boys won the Don Lukens Invitational, with Johnathon Sholl setting a school record in the 100 meters – Sturgis Journal

Marquette’s boys and girls dominated the Manistique Invitational – Escanaba Daily News 

Football

Dan Rohn, who coached Grand Rapids West Catholic to four Division 5 championships over the last nine seasons, resigned – Grand Rapids Press 

Good Reads

Muskegon Mona Shores’ freshman Raegan Cox is one of the Midwest’s top soccer players her age – and she’s contributing not only to her school’s soccer team this spring, but also its track & field team – Muskegon Chronicle

A number of sources nationwide, including MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts, weighed in on why we must counteract sports specialization in this story that was published by the New York Times among papers all over the country – The Associated Press

Incredibly, Mason Evans is playing golf – and playing well – for Battle Creek Lakeview using one arm after breaking the other during wrestling season – Battle Creek Enquirer

As Birmingham Seaholm’s Jordan Michalak finishes her term as a member of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council, she tells of her experiences as a contributor and how her tenure has affected her perspective on athletics – Birmingham Observer & Eccentric